who do you want at the plate?  a .250 hitter with a .360 on base percentage and less than a .200 batting average with runners in scoring position?  or perhaps a .300 hitter with a .330 on base percentage who hits well with runners in scoring position?

the object of baseball is to score more runs than the other team.  scoring runs obviously correlates with high on base percentage, but correlation does not equal causation.  i'm sick of hearing this b.s. about "the object is not to make outs." no.  not always.  in certain situations, you need to be able to trade an out for a run. what you can't do is go up there and watch strike three.

getting on base is important.  but so is having the ability to drive runs in in a critical situation.  for example, was getting on base the problem when the giants scored 1 run against the reds recently, but had 11 or so hits? or was it the fact that nobody could come up with a clutch hit at the right time (har har har clutch doesn't exist, rbis don't matter, batting average doesn't measure anything har har har)?

just because you can stand there and watch pitches go by doesn't mean you can play baseball.

as the season winds down, it's pretty clear who has become the least valuable outfielder on this team (dave roberts aside).

Winn is having a career year hitting over .310 and so far stealing 25 bags.  Lewis is having a good year, posting a better average, slugging percentage, and on base percentage than Rowand.  Let's not forget Lewis' 21 stolen bases, next to Rowand's 2.

There seems to be a consensus that Schierholtz is the real deal.  Is it Winn that's in his way, clogging up right field?  Or is it Rowand, with his mediocre defensive play, lack of 5th hitter power, no speed, no arm and exorbanant salary, who is preventing this team from progressing?  It's about time somebody recognize this, because is a .280 season with 15 hrs really worth it?  The Giants have better guys for the job.  Randy can play a better center field that Rowand in my opinion.  I get that Aaron's a "gamer" but are you going to tell me that he plays harder than Randy Winn?  Randy deserves to be back next year, and I think Lewis and Schierholtz have earned starting spots as well.  Rowand's mediocre, and nothing more.  Time to deal him, or just cut him and eat his salary, it's what's best for the team.  He has no potential that he hasn't already realized.

why bochy insists on batting either ray durham or jose castillo in the 2 hole?  Isn't Castillo leading the league in gidp, while rayray has quite a tendency to roll over with runners on base as well?  these two guys are the most unclutch hitters on the team, and again, in today's game ray wiped out a scoring chance when lewis got on base to start off the game.  it drives me nuts when he puts castillo 2nd and durham 3rd.  that way, if lewis gets on base and castillo doesn't hit into a double play, you have durham there to make sure it happens.

it really makes me wonder why the giants have way better hitting statistics than the A's, yet the results as far as games won and runs scored are so different.  The fact that the Giants' best hitter consistently hits 5th behind a guy who can't run limits a lot of scoring opportunities.  how many times has rowand doubled with slow ass molina stopping at third on balls that would have scored anyone else?

None of it makes any sense.  Ray durham is NOT a 3 hitter.  Randy Winn (although a good 2 hitter) is NOT a 3 hitter.

Bochy makes me sick, I want Felipe Alou back.  Willie Randolph anyone?

1.  Lewis LF
2.  Winn RF
3.  Castillo 3B
4.  Rowand CF
5.  Bowker 1B
6.  Molina C
7.  Pitcher
8.  Burriss 2B
9.  Vizquel SS

Run run run with Lewis and Winn to prevent double plays via Castillo which will open up a lot of holes for Castillo's slap happy tactics to poke singles and doubles through.  Rowand leads our team in slugging, bat him 4.  Bowker has the potential to hit 20 jacks and I see him as a legit number 5 guy.  Molina can still get rbis in the 6 hole, but then we just conceed that he will not score because of his lack of speed/good hitters behind him and bat the pitcher behind him (if you don't believe me, check the stats, he has only 12 runs scored, and 4 of them were driven in by his own home runs!).  Burriss and Vizquel become the new table setters with speed and Vizquel's bunting ability and Lewis now becomes a 3 hitter the second time around.

Cuz, I mean, what they're doing now is definitely not working.

Or maybe we just need new players . . .